Who Am I
by Deja Know I Been Lookin For Vu
Summary: There's someone masquerading as Anakin Skywalker, and Luke and Vader find out about it. How will they handle this? Pre-TESB. A Luke/Vader Writers challenge fic entry.
1. Chapter One

******Title: Who am I?  
Author: Deja Vu  
Summary: This is a response to the story challenge proposed by Claire (Cszemis) on the Luke/Vader list. The conditions are: write a story based off this plot bunny: Someone is masquerading about the galaxy under the name of "Anakin Skywalker." The information reaches both Imperial and Alliance networks. Both Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker hear of it and react accordingly.  
—Because this fanfic prompt was inspired by Les Miserables' "Who am I," I have fit snippets of the song into chapter four of the fic, marked by brackets.  
Rating: A _little_ language, a _little_ violence.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or ****"Les Miserables,"** but this story is mine.

* * *

Luke

* * *

Years later, I remembered...

* * *

"Hey kid, you got a minute?" 

I turned and looked at Han, shivering slightly. Putting a Tatooinian farmboy on a planet as cold as Hoth was cruel, although I had only myself to blame, as I'd crash landed on the planet.

"Sure," I replied. "What is it?"

I studied Han's face carefully, frowning slightly. He seemed to be reluctant and secretive, as if he really didn't want to tell me what he was about to.

He gestured for me to follow him, and he took me into a small storage room nearby. He gazed downwards for a moment before he looked up at me. "Command got some, ah, interesting information."

"And they shared it with you?" I looked at him skeptically, but he could see the humorous glimmer in my eyes.

"Actually, no. But I have my sources," Han grinned at me lopsidedly.

"So...?" I looked at him inquisitively.

"I think they planned to tell you eventually, but—"

"You're stalling," I interrupted.

"Kid, there's some guy running around the galaxy with the name Anakin Skywalker."

"What?" I blurted, jaw dropped and eyes wide. "He's supposed to be dead!"

Han seemed a bit uncomfortable. "I don't make up the information, kid, I just report it."

I furrowed my brow, a flurry of thoughts running through my head. "Why didn't they tell me?"

"Scared you'd go off and look for him. They want you to stay here...They need you here."

The last sentence seemed to be almost choked out distastefully, but I knew that deep down inside Han cared. "Why didn't they tell me?" I repeated in disbelief, feeling some of my trust slip away. I had risked my life for the Rebellion, and Command would hold back this information from me?

Han crossed his arms. "What do you plan to do?"

"Look for him, of course!" I exclaimed. If this man were my father...

"...And that's exactly what they were afraid of," Han snorted, sounding disgusted with himself. "Kid, this is probably just some fake. And besides, if you go out looking for him, they're gonna know someone told you, and it won't be that hard for them to find out who."

"Since when do you care what other people think, Han?"

He didn't answer, and it came to me. "Scared Leia will think you're a tattletale, huh." My eyes narrowed. "Does she know about this?"

Han began to look increasingly uncomfortable. "Look, kid, I don't know who all knew. I just know they didn't want one of their best pilots to leave them."

"Han, I have to go...You understand that, don't you?" I gave him an almost pleading look.

"Can't say I do, kid. But I'm not your mother, and you can do what you want."

"I need to think about this."

Han nodded, and he began to move for the door. I stopped him, placing my hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, Han."

"No problem, kid."

* * *

I plopped down on my bunk. Anakin Skywalker. My father. Could it really be my father? 

Had both my uncle and Obi-Wan lied to me?

I could feel a little anger well up within me at the thought, but I tried to push it down. Maybe they just hadn't really known. Maybe they just thought he was dead...

I tried to imagine what my parents might have looked like in their youth...Nothing.

I tried again and—

_I saw a young couple. They were laughing, and they seemed happy...Yet there was something else in their expressions. Fatigue, perhaps...And maybe sadness?_

_The man put his hand on the woman's stomach and smiled. He seemed proud._

_My view changed. I saw one of the temples of Yavin IV, and a man standing beside it. I couldn't make out any details, he just seemed to be a dark blob, but I could tell he wanted me to come to him. I tried to move forward—_

But I was pulled out of the vision.

I wiped a few beads of sweat off my brow and glanced at the chrono. Stang! Three hours had passed.

But my decision was made. I had to go to Yavin IV. That would be where I would meet my father. Somehow, I _knew_ it.

"You're sure, kid?"

I nodded at Han. "It's what I have to do. Tell Leia and the others that I learned from the Force where my father was. Tell them that I _will_ return."

"And if we all leave Hoth before you come back?"

I hesitated and looked at him. Though he tried to hide it, I saw concern in his eyes, and I knew I could trust him. "Don't tell them, Han, but I'll be on Yavin IV. If a while passes before I return, or if you have to leave Hoth, tell Leia where I am. But only if you have to. I don't want anyone stopping me."

"I understand, kid."

I turned to leave, and he grabbed my shoulder. I faced him, and he said, "Take care of yourself, Luke."

"You too, Han," I said.

And then I left, feeling like a thief stealing away in the night. I told Threepio I had to leave with Artoo, and then the two of us left in my X-wing. I didn't tell Leia goodbye because I knew if I did she would probably convince me to stay.

And I wanted so much to go.


	2. Chapter Two

**

* * *

Vader**

* * *

"Lord Vader," I heard a voice say hesitantly. 

I turned, feeling a glimmer of satisfaction pass over me as I recognized the mousy-haired man. He was an intelligence officer that I had assigned to finding more information on Skywalker. "What is it?" I asked him, not even bothering to hide my impatience.

"You said to report any information on Luke Skywalker, my lord. We have not received anything new on that front," he began, but as he saw me clench my fist he hurried to say what he meant to, "but we have received information on an Anakin Skywalker."

I felt my blood freeze. "What." It was not a question or an exclamation but a sort of quiet and chilling version of the two.

The officer spoke quickly, and fear radiated off him through the Force. "There are a few scattered reports of an Anakin Skywalker residing on the planet of Yavin IV, where the Rebels once had their base. Apparently he stole an Imperial Shuttle, and Intelligence caught his name and location after decoding a transmission he sent out. We have been unable to trace the transmission's destination, however."

"Keep searching for more information. Contact me when you find more."

* * *

I reported to my master that I was taking my flagship to Yavin IV to investigate this appearance of a man with the name I had once held. He did not want me to go, but he would not stop me. He did, however, warn me that he knew the inner workings of my heart. 

That made my blood run cold for a minute, although I was careful to hide it from his probing through the Force. Did he really know my secret thoughts?

Palpatine was old and being eaten alive by the Dark Side. He was becoming weaker...Secretly, I wanted to overthrow him with my son, if Luke Skywalker was indeed my son—the Force told me he was connected to me that day in the Death Star trench, and my heart was inclined to agree. Did Palpatine know about this? Did he suspect my plans? Or was he just trying to frighten me?

Well, regardless of Palpatine, I was going to Yavin IV to make sure that the name of Anakin Skywalker remained dead, as well as the person.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Thanks for the feedback. :D Sorry this chapter is so short. 


	3. Chapter Three

**Author's Notes: **Thanks for the reviews. Here's an update. :D

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Luke

* * *

I landed in a clearing on Yavin IV, and though a sense of nostalgia passed over me, I felt more uneasy than excited, as if someone were trying to tell me I wasn't meant to be there. Clumsily trying to reach out through the Force, I caught a slight sense of someone through the Force. It wasn't a sort of familiar sense like I had expected...Instead, it was a bit vague. Yet it beckoned me. 

"Artoo, stay here," I commanded. The little droid tried to get out anyway, but I spoke to him with an edge in my voice. "If something happens to me, I need you to get a message to the others. Can you keep a track on me with yours and the X-wing's sensors? I won't be going very far."

Artoo hooted mournfully. I could tell he wanted to go with me, but I needed to do this alone.

I walked through Yavin IV slowly, my heart pounding. Feeling that I was close, I passed through a particularly thick patch of underbrush.

And then, for a moment, my heart stopped.

* * *

Vader

* * *

I left the _Executor_ in my personal shuttle, but as I was descending to the planet, the Intelligence officer in charge of the Skywalker investigation sent me a comm message telling me that an untraceable transmission had been sent down to the planet. They had begun to try to decode it, but the encryption was complex, and even their best splicers might not be able to make any headway. Ordinarily, I would have given Intelligence some Dark Side incentive, but I was too preoccupied with the faux Anakin Skywalker's appearance. 

As I got closer to the planet and reached out, I could sense two presences in the Force, side by side. One was bright, familiar, and mostly untrained. The other was weaker, but more experienced, and perhaps even...darker?

Impatient, I increased my speed.

* * *

Luke

* * *

I couldn't believe it. He looked so much like the man in my vision. Older, of course, but there were some definite similarities... 

He was standing by the Massassi Temple in the brown robe of a Jedi, and I could sense that his control over the Force reflected a lot more training than I had been given by Obi-Wan. I could only sense bits of his Force sense, however, as if he were hiding most of it from me.

"Are...are you Anakin Skywalker?" I croaked out, subconsciously fingering the lightsaber at my side and feeling very out of place in my orange flight suit.

The man smiled. "I knew you would come, son."

Unable to believe or even comprehend the situation, I asked him, "Where have you been all these years?"

His smile became sad. "I was held prisoner by the Empire."

"Why? They killed all the other Jedi."

"They could not break me," he said. A cloud passed over his face, and I felt terrible for asking him the question. "They wanted secrets from me that they could not get, despite their best interrogation attempts, and I finally managed to escape with the help of a kind guard..."

I shuddered. I had heard tales of interrogation from Leia...And she hadn't even been kept by the Empire for years. Who knew what all they had done to him...My father.

At last, I was with my father.

I wanted to laugh, cry, jump in the air—do _something_. But fortunately I was saved from making any decision by Anakin.

He held out his arms with a grin. "Is this how you treat your dear old dad?"

I laughed at him. "Sorry, when someone comes back from the dead you tend to be a little leery."

"For a man who came back from the dead, I'd say I'm in pretty good shape," he chuckled.

I reached out to him through the Force, and as I felt him willing to accept me, I moved forward to embrace him.


	4. Chapter Four

**

* * *

Vader

* * *

**

I went through the forest swiftly, managing to keep my presence hidden. I got to Luke Skywalker and _him_ as they were making their first interactions. Luckily, I remembered to block their sense experiences of my breathing apparatus. It was not too difficult; neither was well-trained enough to resist or even sense me.

I watched them, almost numb, thinking to myself. _He thinks that man is me...No, he thinks that man is Anakin Skywalker...Somehow, he knew _him _at a glance__...But he doesn't even suspect that his true father is a monster._

I shook my head. I was _not_ a monster. Monsters were beasts in foolish fairy tales. I was a Dark Lord of the Sith.

I reached out, trying to stealthily break through the man's barriers, and I suddenly realized that he had been trained by a skilled Dark Sider.

But I had been through many years of training in the Force, and I was more skilled and powerful. I snuck past his barriers, and I came across the man's intentions. _He wants to kill Luke_.

Suddenly, I felt a sense of excitement pass over me, a sensation I had not experienced in a long time. I looked at Luke and then at the mystery man. _That stranger he has found...This man could be my chance!_

I pondered the situation quickly, knowing that time was in short supply. _If I can catch this imposter trying to murder my son, then Luke will be more willing to listen to what I have to say...I could tell him the truth, that he's my son. I could save him..._

But the darker part of me spoke up. _Why should I save his hide? Why should I right this wrong when I have come so far and struggled for so long? For years, I struggled against my past. I have managed to put it behind me—why should I try to be his father _now

And then I realized I was fooling myself into thinking he would even listen to me. _If I speak, I am condemned as a pretender—he will never believe me...And if I stay silent, I am damned to an heirless life...A childless life...A life without my son...Son...Father..._

_A father. Am I _really _a father? Could I really be a father?_

_Who am I? Anakin Skywalker or Darth Vader? Does this man here have as much right to the name of Anakin Skywalker as I do? I forsook that name long ago, is it still mine?_

I swallowed, deep in thought. _Who am I? Can I conceal myself for evermore? Is that what I should do? Continue and pretend I'm not the man I was before?...And must my name until I die be buried away?_

As they moved to hug each other, I realized that this was it. This was the moment I had to make my decision. I could see the poison needle the man tried to hide in his hand. The naive Luke didn't even suspect treachery...

I moved forward, revealing myself through the Force and tossing the needle aside with a Dark Side grip.

"Skywalker," I boomed, addressing Luke and wincing at my own voice. "This man is not Anakin Skywalker. He is an assassin."

**

* * *

Luke

* * *

**

Vader's appearance startled me, and I glanced at the needle on the ground and then at the expression of rage on the face of the man I had thought to be my father. I began to back away, not sure who I believed.

Vader moved threateningly towards the strange man, who also backed away. When he stood against the backdrop of the Massassi temple, I felt my heart skip a beat.

Though Vader made no gesture towards me, it felt like I was being drawn towards him, almost like I had been in my vision.

_Is h—_...was all I thought to myself before thoughts began to flood my mind.

**

* * *

Vader

* * *

**

"I was warned of your coming," the man who bore my former face spat. "I didn't think you'd come so soon though...But I was told that if you did, I was to give you this warning. Leave Skywalker alone. It will just bring the both of you trouble."

I felt rage coming over me. This man thought he could walk into our lives and turn them upside down. Even though I had abandoned the name Anakin Skywalker, he had no _right_ to take it falsely and convince _my son_ that _he_ was his father.

I stepped towards him, my hand outstretched, but it was too late. He had burst the suicide tablet in his mouth, and he slumped to the ground.

Luke looked at me, a myriad of emotions crossing his face. He seemed scared, amazed, confused...And disappointed.

He'd thought that he had found his father. But it was a lie...

I looked at him. I had planned to tell him of our relationship whenever I saw him...But somehow I didn't have the heart. Heart. I felt like snorting at the thought.

How could I claim right then that I was Luke's father? I had no more been a part of his life than this man lying on the ground before us. The only claim I had that he didn't was blood.

I stared at him, and he stared back at me. All of the emotions on his face faded away, just leaving one: pain.

He wanted to find his father. Wanted it more than anything.

I remembered being like him once, when I had held the name Anakin Skywalker. I kept wishing for a father to talk to. My mother had been wonderful, but she just couldn't fill that small hole that existed in my heart...

If I gave him that father now, would I be helping him, or simply hurting him more?

_Who am I?_ I thought. _Is Anakin Skywalker gone, and only Darth Vader left? Or am I a mixture of the two, even though I do not want to be?_

I looked at Luke, at the hurt in his eyes, in his soul. And I made a decision.

I knew I would regret it later, but I could not stop Anakin Skywalker from coming out for this last act.

The boy, barely trained as he was, didn't even know what was coming.

I forced him into unconsciousness, and then I entered his mind.

It wasn't hard to find my destination, for that part of his mind seem to be almost throbbing with pain. I took a deep breath, and then I wiped his memories of that encounter, adding a few in their place that would sort of explain his venture.

I took Luke in a Force grip and walked to his X-wing, where his Artoo unit beeped frantically at me.

I studied the droid closely and froze as I realized that it looked like the Artoo unit I had once known.

"I have not harmed him, Artoo," I said softly. The droid quieted, as if wondering at my familiarity with him. "Take your master back to where you were before, and beware, for if we meet again, matters might not turn out so fortunate."

The droid whistled in understanding, raising the top of the cockpit to allow me to put Luke inside.

"It would be best if you warned the others not to ask him questions about this incident, and best if you did not answer any," I told him, and then I left.

The droid could get him back, I knew, and I needed to return to the _Executor_.

**

* * *

Palpatine

* * *

**

I sneered angrily down at the report in front of me. The con artist/assassin Gerwaivo had killed himself, likely because Vader had arrived sooner than he should have. It was a pity. I'd spent quite a bit of time training that rat, and his cosmetic surgery wasn't cheap either...But it wasn't as if I didn't have money to spare.

I chuckled at the thought. Money was not a matter I was too concerned with...And though Skywalker was still alive, this endeavor had not turned out too badly. Vader had been suitably warned.

There would be no overthrowing of _my_ Empire.

**

* * *

Vader

* * *

**

As I guided my shuttle up towards the _Executor_, a question kept resounding through my head...

_Who am I?_


End file.
